Skylanders Awakening
by icepelt2000
Summary: Strange anomalies shake the Earth, and Rosie's small town is disturbed by them. When she and a few classmates discover strange figures and devices, they discover a world connected to theirs- and find that the safety of their world lies with it.
1. Prologue

**This is something I've been thinking on for a while. Let me know what you think.**

 **Skylanders belongs to Activision, but I hope you already knew that.**

Skylanders Awakening: The First Adventure

Prologue: Shooting Stars, Blazing Skies

The woman in red stood up on the roof of her cottage, watching as the purple night sky lit up orange in several streaks. The streaks covered the whole sky, and they only let up in short intervals. The wind picked up as each streak passed, picking up her red skirt each time. Voices carried themselves through the air, crying for help and assistance.

Something wasn't right.

And she had expected it might happen for a long time.

"Mom! What's going on!?" a voice shouted from below.

The woman in red climbed down the ladder and back onto the grass. Her daughter, covered in a black sweatshirt with the hood up, ran straight for her. She could see her fear in her hazel eyes. Her daughter was hardly close to adulthood. While she had been taught of the possibility of this strange event many times over, she was more optimistic in believing that it would never pass.

"Magic has returned to Earth," the woman in red explained. "I believe that the connections are healing themselves once more."

"But the screaming! It's so unbearable! Has something bad happened?"

So her daughter could hear the screaming, too? The woman in red had always hoped that her daughter might be spared from that burden. Was this what the Ancients wanted from them?

"I believe there's been an awakening," the woman in red decided. "Do you feel something inside you? A possible connection, maybe?"

"I do," her daughter replied.

The woman in red shifted through her pockets, pulling out two items. The first was a slip of paper, carefully folded in half. The other was a pendant, of sorts. The pendant was circular, with runes carved into it. The center now glowed in various colors, roaring back to life as it had when she had first found it long ago.

"You'll need this to move between the worlds," the woman in red explained as she set the pendant around her daughter's neck. "You can't summon your magic without it."

"Isn't this yours?" her daughter asked.

"It's yours now. I want you to have it."

Her daughter nodded, tucking it away into her sweatshirt.

The woman in red suddenly felt a shake against the wall of the cottage. Someone had caught up to her. Looking for the pendant, no doubt. She had to make sure they didn't find her daughter.

"You must follow the path of the streaks, searching until you find the name on this list. He is the one that has been trusted with leading the protectors in the absence of a great master. You must find him, and locate the other heroes in order to prevent the calamity," the woman in red explained.

"B-By myself?" her daughter asked. "But why can't you-"

"I'll only get in the way. I've taught you enough to take care of yourself, haven't I?"

"I suppose."

"You have to get going now. Don't stop until you find that name, got it?"

"Promise you'll be right behind me?"

She didn't think she could. Regardless, she said, "I will be. Now go."

Her daughter nodded, running into the woods. The woman in red watched her go, waiting until she disappeared from view altogether. She walked around the side of the house, following the wall to the front door. She walked inside, pausing as she noticed the disturbance. Her books and notes had been scattered across the floor. Her tables and desks sat in pieces on the tiles. Her relics shattered on the ground, with Earth's secret history now lost within them.

And the culprit sat in the middle of the destruction. They were no more than a shadow, the tampering with broken magic manipulating their form. They were no longer man or woman, or even close to human. The only thing that poked out of their shade were two glowing green eyes that watched and scanned.

Waiting for her.

"I don't have what you're looking for," the woman announced.

"But it is around here, isn't it?" the shadow asked, their voice echoing in unfamiliar cadences.

"I thought you'd have your own gateway by now."

"Don't underestimate me. I have my methods. But my current methods lack the necessary power to move around the way I'd like."

"I'm almost surprised that you're telling me of your shortcomings."

The shadow hovered close to her, stepping right in front of her face. They smelled of smoke and ash, as well as a strange substance that could only come from the stars.

"That's because you know that you can no longer get away. Isn't that right?"

The woman in red held her stern countenance. Her throat ran dry. Her palms grew sweaty. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her body was trying to give away her fear, and she fought with everything she had in order to appear fearless.

"That's right."

The shadow chuckled. "Now tell me," they began, "Where can I find the leader of the Skylanders?"


	2. An Awakening

Chapter One: An Awakening

"...The fires spread across the woods too quickly for authorities to…"

The news continued on in the Dawkins' living room, though at this point Rosie was deaf to it. Instead she focused on her handheld game, continuously grinding her current party in order to fight the next boss. She hardly enjoyed this part of her games. She would prefer to keep moving forward, with no stops in her path. It wouldn't be so bad if the experience gain wasn't so small.

Footsteps clambered into the next room, and someone sat next to her. She quickly saved her game and looked up at the newcomer. It was her older brother Brian, fully-fitted in blue-and-gold for his sports team. What was that team…? The Bulldogs…? Or the Vikings…? A lot of sports teams had blue-and-gold clad bulldog vikings as their mascots, didn't they? Rosie could never keep them straight. And Brian followed so many teams.

"I thought the game wasn't until tonight?" Rosie wondered.

"It isn't until tonight, but my friends are going to pick me up earlier so we can hang out," Brian explained.

"You mean your high school friends? Does one of them have the cool car?"

"You know, Mom and Dad told you that you couldn't have the TV on while you were playing on that thing."

"I'm just grinding. I've been taking the same steps for so long, I'm paying more attention to the television than I am the game."

"One or the other."

Rosie saved her game once again, before turning off her system. She tucked a few strands of red hair behind her ear as she squinted grumpily at him. She was almost completely alone this morning. Having the TV on allowed her to feel less isolated. Her alone time filled her with a strange sense of apprehension nowadays that she couldn't quite shake.

"...Tonight's weather forecast calls for intense thunderstorms starting at nine o'clock…," the news continued.

Brian deflated upon hearing that. "I hope that storm doesn't interfere with the game," he sighed.

"I hope it doesn't interfere with mine," Rosie added.

"You can pick that back up easily."

"A bad storm could knock out the power in between my save times. It could damage our systems or corrode the save data."

The siblings stopped arguing, returning to an awkward silence. Rosie's strange loneliness returned. She could never get along with Brian, and their parents worked too often for her to talk with them. It didn't use to bother her so much, though.

"You know, a few of my classmates wanted to travel through the woods today," Rosie noted. "To get into the spirit of Halloween, you know. Especially since they were banned from the local cemetery."

"Are you asking permission to go?" Brian asked. "Just go if you want to. Remember to grab a set of keys, though."

Rosie got up off the couch, walking into the living room. She grabbed her lilac-colored jacket off one of the jacket-covered chairs and put that on. She grabbed a keychain off the table and set it around her neck. She then ran toward the front door, putting on black sneakers. Rosie didn't speak to Brian at all during this segment. Somehow she always had to ask for permission to do something, no matter who it was.

She walked out the door, hoping that company among classmates would help her feel less lonely.

* * *

Puddles grew across the park grounds everywhere, making it impossible for park goers to keep the mud off their shoes. Somehow the pavement had mud on it, and Rosie had to walk slowly to keep from slipping. The air felt muggy, and it carried the scent of damp leaves on it. Rosie looked at the gray sky, feeling somehow morose. These dreary fall days always brought down her mood.

She found the group of three classmates waiting by the entrance to the woods. There was a black-haired boy in a gray hoodie, wielding a flashlight as if it were a sword- his name was Chad. There was another boy with black hair, yet a darker complexion, in a green hoodie, who laughed with Chad and played along with him- this was Axl. They had a girl with them, who had short blond hair and a pink jacket, who frowned at their antics- her name was Sam. This group was a lot smaller than Rosie had anticipated.

"Is it alright if I join?" Rosie called out to them.

The group paused in their antics. Chad replied, "Sure. The more the merrier."

Rosie walked up to them, pleased to have been invited so quickly. "What are we planning on looking at, anyway?"

"We were just going to hang out in the woods and spook each other," Sam replied. "Not as many people came to join us as before."

"It's that darn fire," Axl insisted, arms crossed. "People are too worried about themselves at the moment."

Rosie perked up, intrigued. She felt like something important rested within the woods, and she wanted to discover it with her classmates. "Are we going to visit that giant burn patch?" she asked, hands in her pockets. "It seems rather suspicious, don't you think?"

"I'm not sure the authorities would let us near," Chad shrugged. "We can get as close as possible, though. Everyone want to try?"

"I'm game," Axl decided.

"A burnt part of the woods doesn't seem too scary, but I'm willing to go along," Sam shrugged.

The four of them walked together, carefully stepping over fallen branches. The usual path wasn't cut and clear as usual due to the fallen branches on the ground. Twigs snapped under their feet, and the wet leaves made walking a bit slippery. Chad looked over at Sam, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Are you sure burnt sections of woodland aren't scary?" Chad snickered. "I mean...no one knows how the fire started, right?"

"Mysterious fires are no reason to get worked up," Sam argued, arms crossed. "Someone probably left a campfire burning and it just spread. Or someone left a smoldering cigarette butt behind and it caught some brush on fire. These things happen."

"Not around here," Axl insisted, joining in the game. "I'm sure the woods experience fires from time to time, but none so big as to make it onto the news."

"It's been rather rainy too, right?" Rosie added. "I don't think fires could start so easily in the rainy season."

Sam shook her head. "Just because we don't know what happened doesn't mean it won't come up in the news eventually. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for it."

"You like sucking the fun out of paranormal mysteries, don't you?" Chad sighed.

"Maybe nature lacks the mystery she likes," Rosie suggested. "Sam, what kind of things interest you?"

Sam studied the leaves on the ground, thinking deeply. "I think that technological anomalies are quite frightening. We know a lot about the way nature works nowadays, and we should know everything about computers and machines. Yet weird things keep happening to our machines. Strange noises coming out of the radios, weird pictures on our televisions and computers, and so on and so forth. No one can agree on an explanation, and that seems much more terrifying."

"I don't worry so much about stuff like that," Axl insisted.

"You don't understand how technology works, you mean."

Axl shrugged.

Sam looked over at Rose. "What scares you?" she asked. "Do your ideas of paranormal mysteries fit more with technology or nature?"

"Neither one, specifically," Rosie decided. "If something's out of the ordinary, I'm scared of it. Well… it's not like it's a fear that rests in the back of my mind all the time but… it's weird enough to make me uncomfortable when I think about it. You guys ever get that feeling?"

Chad looked away grumpily, his game not going the way that he hoped it would.

"I usually get that feeling after watching a scary movie," Sam replied. "The feelings it evokes stick with me after I watch it, no matter how much time passes."

"Same," Axl insisted. "Also goes for scary videos, too."

"Say guys, you think we'll come across any creepers in the woods?" Chad wondered slyly. "Our bodies could come up in the news tomorrow. You never know."

Everyone whipped their heads around to glare at him.

"Don't make comments like that!" Sam whined, fists clenched. "Everyone's afraid of creepers! Heck, I think _that's_ the real reason no one else wanted to come here today!"

"I doubt that. Creepers wouldn't want to attack an incredibly large group. Large groups scare them off."

A gust of wind flew past them, and Rosie paused suddenly. With the gust of wind came...a shout. Like a young male voice, pleading for help. Her stomach grew sick as the cries continued. Something within her shouted at her to seek it out.

"Hey, does anyone hear that?" Rosie asked, arms wrapped around her body.

Chad frowned in confusion. "Okay, I'm not sure _you_ have any talent in scaring people, Rosie."

Axl and Sam paused along with Rosie, trying to pick up what she was trying to find.

"It's faint," Sam wondered.

"It's not that faint," Axl argued. "I can hear it fine."

"It's practically on top of us," Rosie shouted. "You guys can't hear it clearly?"

Chad began shaking, staring at them worriedly. "If you wanted to freak everyone else, it's working," he insisted with a shaky voice.

"Is it close?" Sam asked.

"Really close," Rosie insisted.

"Lead the way. We'll follow you."

Rosie did so, skipping along in spite of the slick leaves. Axl and Sam weren't too far behind, watching between the trees to help her out. Chad followed after them, sticking much too close for comfort. Of course, given the fear in his eyes, no one yelled at him to step away. The group paused as they heard shouting, though this was different than the plea for help. A figure stopped between two large oak trees, looking around. Their black sweatshirt was snagged by leaves and twigs, sporting a few tears in it. The figure had the hood up, their face obscured by the cloth and by their long brown hair flowing out of the gap. They glanced at the group, though no one could get a good look at the figure's face before they ran off. Three policemen ran after them, leaving the area unguarded.

"That was...odd, right?" Chad asked.

"I think we need to go where that person just was," Rosie insisted, the feeling in her gut alleviating at the thought. "I hear the voice through there."

"That's a good idea," Sam grimaced. "If we want to get in trouble with the police."

They marched on nonetheless, passing through the trees. Yellow police tape blocked their way, guarding a strange patch of land. The scent of charred wood definitely hung in the air, and even some of the trees sported black bark. But the land within the yellow tape appeared untouched by the fire that had occurred in the area. Indeed, the only disturbance seemed to be a large mound in the dirt. Not much to indicate the presence of a fire.

"That's definitely odd," Chad gasped. "That fire happened last week, right?"

"It's in the mound!" Rosie shouted. "That's definitely where I hear it!"

"We can't pass through there! It's against the law!" Sam argued.

Axl looked around, judging their surroundings. "I don't see any policemen anywhere," he wondered. "I think that black-hooded person led them away."

"Do you think they...wanted us to find this place?"

"I thought you didn't believe in paranormal anomalies like that."

"I don't know how else to explain it."

Rosie looked at the mound, her stomach growing sick once again. The act of standing and staying away made her feel worse. She had to go in there, whatever the case may be.

So Rosie stepped under the yellow tape, crawling on the ground until she was within the area. This section surprisingly lacked the same wetness that the rest of the woods contained. Indeed, the autumn grass behind the yellow tape was quite brittle, and the leaves were quite crunchy. The smokey scent hovered in front of Rosie's face the longer she stayed within it. She made it up to the mound, where the pleas for help changed into hopeful cheers. A light came from the mound, changing between various colors. What was in there?

Rosie reached into the mound, pulling out a strange figure-

"A Portal Master! I knew you'd find me!"

-And she then chucked it away from her in a bout of fear.

The figure landed at Sam's feet, and soon everyone in the group screamed along with Rosie. After a moment, they calmed down, though still trembled. Rosie looked at her hand, realizing that it was still warm from the touch of the figure.

That figure...had talked to her.

After regaining her composure, Rosie went back toward the mound, finding that the light still flickered inside. She grabbed out a strange circular object. The rim was gray, with strange unearthly symbols carved into it. The center glowed in strange colors, though as Rosie held it, the main color was a vibrant purple. The center felt wispy to the touch, as if she set her finger into mist, though this feeling went away the minute she pulled her finger out. She walked back over to the group, crawling under the yellow tape to get out of the area.

Sam held the strange figure now. Rosie took it back from her, studying it- she had thrown it too quickly to see what it was. Now she saw that it was a dragon with purple scales. Orange spikes sat on top of its head, trailing down its spine and ending at the tail, which had a large orange tip on it. Orange horns curved outward on its head, matching its orange underbelly. The orange membraned wings curved out slightly, as if it were trying to begin flight. The dragon was posed with one clawed foot up, as if it were trying to swipe at something. Yet still, the figure was warm to the touch.

"Don't throw me again!" the purple dragon figure shouted bitterly. "That really hurt!"

"You heard that, right?" Rosie asked the group.

"Loud and clear," Sam nodded.

"Couldn't be clearer if we tried," Axl added.

Chad crossed his arms, frowning. "Okay, now I _know_ you're all messing with me," he grumbled. "You could come up with a more clever joke, you know."

Axl cocked his head at him, confused. "You really don't hear it?" he asked him. "You're standing right next to the thing."

"Look at this, Chad," Rosie insisted, handing him the circular object. "Isn't it weird how it glows?"

Chad took the circular object from her. The object ceased all glowing as he held it. Chad passed it back to her, growing more annoyed. The object regained a purple glow once Rosie held it again.

"It's plastic," he yelled. "It's not even glowing."

"Feel this figure, then," Rosie persisted.

Chad tapped the top of the dragon figure's head, causing the dragon figure to groan nervously. Chad crossed his arms once again, saying, "It's cold."

Axl and Sam touched the purple dragon figure, gasping at the warm touch.

"Stop touching me! It's uncomfortable!" the purple dragon figure yelled.

"You guys see this circle thing's glow, right?" Rosie asked Axl and Sam.

Axl took the circular object, studying it curiously. When he held it, the item glowed a sepia color.

"Yeah, it's weird, right?" Axl wondered.

"Let me see it," Sam insisted.

Axl handed it to her. When she held it, the item glowed an orange color.

"It glows for us, but not for you, Chad," Sam hummed in thought.

"Knock it off," Chad huffed. "I've caught on to your game. It's no longer funny."

They heard talking in the distance, coming nearer toward them. It sounded like the police were coming back. The group bolted, splitting off in several directions. Rosie fled westward, gripping the purple dragon figure tightly, until she found the path out of the woods.

* * *

It started raining when Rosie made her way home. Her knuckles grew white as she held the purple dragon figure. She felt a strange compulsion to hold onto it, though she couldn't determine why. Her experience in the woods stuck with her, giving her that uncomfortable feeling that paranormal mysteries gave her. Had everything just been a hallucination or a vision? Axl and Sam had reacted as if they knew what she was looking at as well, though. Or maybe that group had been in on some dumb joke to make her out as a fool.

"Could you loosen your grip?" a voice asked. "You're kind of hurting my wings."

Rosie paused as she neared the front entrance to her house. There was that voice again. The figure still felt as warm as ever. Maybe it hadn't been a hallucination.

"It'll just be another moment," Rosie insisted. "We're just going to get inside my house."

Rose took the keys around her neck, unlocking the front door. She stepped into her house, shutting the door and making her way to the kitchen. She set the purple dragon figure on the kitchen table, before walking up to the fridge. She reread the pink sticky note that had been set on it early this morning:

 **We won't be home until late tonight. Dinner's in the fridge. We hope you have a nice day.**

 **Love, Mom and Dad.**

She wondered what they had left her and Brian for dinner. Rosie opened the fridge, finding a week's supply of sloppy joe mix on the top shelf. She really didn't like sloppy joes. She found them too messy and too spicy. That was more Brian's preference than hers. But if this was the only thing she had to eat… well, she still had to check the pantry before she decided that her fate was sealed.

"Where is everybody?" the purple dragon figure asked.

"My folks are working late, and my brother's attending a game," Rosie explained, studying the kitchen tiles. She grimaced as she realized she tracked mud into the kitchen. Maybe if she cleaned her sneakers off really well, she could pin the mess on Brian.

"Are you usually home alone?" the purple dragon figure persisted.

Rosie didn't reply right away. The sudden realization of her strange feeling of loneliness hit her like a truck.

"Yeah, I guess. My parents always work late, and my brother Brian usually goes off and does his own thing. He's in high school, so he has a bit more freedom, I guess. I'm sure my parents would kill me if they knew I'd gone that far into the woods, though."

"Sometimes you have to break a few rules. Oh, I haven't even explained who I am and where I'm from yet! Listen, we have to-"

"I don't want to bother with any weird stuff right now. I'm still reeling from our weird encounter."

"But you don't unders-"

"I want to meet up with Sam and Axl tomorrow to discuss what happened. The stage can be all yours then, okay?"

The purple dragon figure grumbled in annoyance, and then replied, "Fine."

Rosie looked in the pantry, finding only a few slices of bread and a mostly empty jar of peanut butter. Man, they really needed to go shopping. She guessed that the sloppy joes would have to do. Rosie went back into the fridge, pulling out a container of sloppy joe mix. She was familiar with the routine of feeding herself, but now she felt less lonely while doing so.

"Oh, by the way, my name's Rosie," she told the purple dragon figure. "What's your name?"

"You mean you can't picture it in your head?" the purple dragon figure asked.

"Look, if you're going to get snippy with me-"

"I mean, you were the one who connected with me fairly well. I was told that when that happened, my name was supposed to come into my master's head."

"I don't know. Could you just tell me?"

"Very well. My name is Spyro."

That certainly was an interesting name. It almost rolled off the tongue. It stuck to her mind like glue.

"I think...that name was in my head when I looked at you," Rosie wondered.


	3. The Follow-up

Chapter Two: The Follow-Up

Rosie climbed out of bed the next morning, finding it difficult to fully wake up. Her dreams that night were rather unpleasant, involving intense heat and flying uncontrollably through the air, as well as a silhouette of several lizard-like figures roaring at her. She didn't have a clue as to what it was supposed to be, and she really didn't want to dwell on it too much. Rosie disappeared into her closet, changing out of her pajamas and into a black shirt and nice jeans.

"Are you up, Spyro?" Rosie shouted.

"Couldn't sleep," Spyro sighed. "Haven't been able to for a week."

"It had to be boring just to stare at the walls, don't you think?"

"Not really. I liked studying the drawing on the wall."

Rosie's cheeks burned in embarrassment. She crawled out of the closet, standing next to her writing desk where Spyro sat. Across from the writing desk were a series of poorly-drawn magical creatures, from fairies to dragons to werewolves. Each one had exaggerated features in various places, from large feet and tiny heads, to small wings and long tails. She could draw much better nowadays, and she hated the idea of what others might think if anyone saw these scrawls. She had half a mind to go over them in another coat of paint- yet, her parents still seemed to find them cute, and she couldn't bear to see their reactions if she ever asked to do so.

"Did you draw those?" Spyro asked. "The style is quite interesting."

"The style is trash," Rosie argued, turning on her laptop. "If you want to see my other sketches, I can at a later point."

"You make sketches?"

"Yeah, I have tons of sketchbooks in my laptop bag. I can show them to you once we head out."

Rosie got into her email, looking to see any confirmation. After dinner last night, she found Sam and Axl's email addresses and sent them each a message to meet her at the park benches by the water fountain the next day. When she was ready for bed, Axl had sent his confirmation, saying that he was actually looking forward to it. And now, Rosie discovered that Sam had sent a reply- at two in the morning, with no spaces, and several errors that made it hard to read anyway. She guessed that Sam was coming as well.

"I think we're good to go," Rosie decided, turning her laptop back off. "I'm going to finish getting ready, and then we can go."

"Ugh, I'm tired of waiting," Spyro sighed. "I'm eager to set off."

Rosie pulled a brush out of the desk drawer, fixing up her hair. She grabbed her laptop bag, setting her laptop in the main pouch with the rest of her sketchbooks. She took Spyro and set him in the front pocket of her laptop bag. She set the bag over her shoulder, and walked over to the door. Before she could open it, she heard shouting from the other side.

"I swear, it wasn't me!" Brian yelled. "It was there when I got home!"

"We've told you several times, haven't we!?" their mother shouted. "You have to clean your feet by the door before walking in! As often as you go out, you really ought to know this!"

Rosie's plan to pin her mess on Brian had worked. Now she just had to wait for the heat to come off.

* * *

Rosie made her way to the park, spotting Axl on the benches where she had asked him to be. She jogged up and sat next to him, shivering at the cold metal on her rump. Axl appeared deflated, as if something had gone wrong. He hardly acknowledged Rosie's arrival.

"Is everything okay?" Rosie asked.

"I'm fine. Just have this awful headache," Axl insisted. "I'm not feeling the best."

"Are you sure there isn't anything more to it than that?"

"Well...I tried calling Chad up this morning to ask him to go to the movies later today, and he blew off my calls. I texted him a few times as well, and he didn't respond to any of them. I think he's still mad about yesterday, thinking we were tricking him."

"So he really didn't catch on to what the rest of us saw and felt?"

"Hey, do you have that weird figure with you?"

Rosie nodded, pulling Spyro out of the front pouch and setting him on her knee.

"It doesn't look like everyone's here, yet," Spyro grumbled. "I really need to get everything out. We really don't have time to waste."

"Sam should be here any moment," Axl shrugged, looking at his phone. "Though she's been rather cryptic. When I texted her, she told me she couldn't talk and that we had to meet at these benches like you asked."

"The email she sent me looked rather strange," Rosie added. "Isn't she supposed to be articulate with computers?"

A girl walked up to them, wearing a gray sweatshirt with the hood up. She sat next to Axl, pulling the hood back slightly so they could see that she was Sam. Her face contorted itself into a worried grimace. Her sweatshirt pocket bulged from everything it carried. Were her treasures the reason for her woes?

"Sam! Finally! Now I can explain everything to you!" Spyro cheered.

Sam shushed him, bringing a finger to his mouth. "Don't talk to loudly!" she hissed. "No one can know I'm here! Whisper if you can!"

"I thought that only the three of us could hear him," Axl wondered. "Sam, why are you acting weird?"

Sam pulled the hoodie over her head. "I'm on the lam," she whimpered.

Rosie raised an eyebrow. "On the lam?" she asked. "You? On the lam?"

"As soon as those Radioshack workers look over their security feed, I'm a goner."

Axl laughed, a smile growing on his face. "Alright, Sam! Did you make off with those fancy new tablets? A big screen TV?"

Sam frowned at him in confusion. "Have you ever been to that Radioshack? I think you're mistaking it for Best Buy."

Spyro huffed. "What are you guys talking about?" he asked.

"They're two electronics stores," Rosie told him. "Wait, are you saying you went to the Radioshack on West Avenue, Sam?"

Sam nodded.

"They claimed that a meteorite damaged their store, didn't they?"

Sam pulled out three circular objects out of her pocket- matching the one that Rosie found last night. She handed one to each of them, explaining, "I've been feeling anxious ever since I went there after they reopened. It felt like there was something I needed to find there, but I could never figure out what it was. Then when I got home last night, after analyzing this device- sorry for stealing it from you, by the way- I caught on to what I was missing from there. And...in the middle of the night...when everyone was asleep...I broke into that Radioshack."

"And you found two more of these weird things?" Axl wondered.

Sam shook her head, and pulled out one more thing out of her pocket. It was another figure similar to Spyro. This was a green dragon with red markings on its legs. It wore strange blue-and-gold armor. Even its wings appeared to be made of the same kind of metals. It was frozen in a similar battle stance that Spyro was in.

Spyro seemed to recognize the new dragon. "Drobot! It's really you!" he cheered. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"I am just as relieved," Drobot said, his voice coming out rather metallic. "I estimated the chances of our reunion to be at 5347 to 1."

"I found him in a hole, along with those two Portals of Power," Sam whispered. "And I'm sure I'm going to get in trouble for breaking in."

"It can't be that bad," Axl insisted. "You didn't actually take any merchandise."

"But they saw me take _something!_ "

So there were more of those strange figures lurking about around town? How many of them were there? And could other classmates of theirs hear the figures and interact with the circular objects?

"Okay Spyro, the floor is yours," Rosie announced. "Tell us everything we need to know."

Spyro sucked in a breath, and quickly announced, "Drobot and I are Skylanders, which are protectors of a world called Skylands. We protect everyone there from evil magic, especially followers of The Darkness, with use of the Core of Light. At least we did, until-"

"Slow down a bit," Drobot urged him. "You're throwing out many technical terms that these young Portal Masters aren't familiar with."

"You want me to slow down!? We have to get back as soon as possible! You know that!"

"I do. But we also need to exercise patience with them. They're unfamiliar to all of this."

Spyro sighed in defeat.

"Is your home in danger?" Sam asked.

"We're afraid so," Drobot continued. "The Core of Light acts as a ward, keeping the worst of The Darkness' foul magic at bay. It was destroyed in our last battle, and in its destruction, all of the Skylanders were cast away, banished to your world. This was a contingency plan, of sorts. It ensures that Skylands' protectors are always around, and can come back when needed."

"You three are Portal Masters," Spyro added. "You are the commanders of the Skylander legions, who tell us where to go and how best to operate. It's through Portals that we can travel anywhere in Skylands in a flash. And if Portals came with us, it means we can get back and set things right."

Rosie's heart thudded in her chest. It was a lot to take in. She suddenly wasn't sure if these things were being honest with them. Suppose they were the bad guys? Suppose they wanted to lure the three of them away somehow? Ugh, she could hardly stand it.

"I don't think I'll be able to help," Sam insisted. "I'm already in big trouble with the law. I'm sure there's a law somewhere saying that preteens aren't allowed to help extraterrestrials in their affairs."

"Without you, we won't be able to return home," Drobot persisted. "We no longer have a Portal Master who can command us all."

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Spyro asked, his voice shaking this time. "Master Eon still has to be out there. He has to be."

"Given the frequency of the blast, it is highly unlikely. And given the strength of our trajectories and impacts, that seems less than likely."

Axl stood up. "Hang on. How strong were your guys' impacts?" he asked.

"The G's of our impact are difficult for me to calculate, as the experience is still...fuzzy. I estimate that our speed prior to impact was approximately 7893 miles per hour."

"That's got to leave a big impact, right?"

Rosie sat straighter. "Like...a woodland fire?" she asked. "Or a damaged Radioshack? Or interferences with technology?"

"Those individuals who are magically inclined on this world are able to determine magical influxes," Drobot continued. "Phenomena which the average human can't explain usually occur due to those influxes. The magic of Skylands reaches every world at varying degrees, including Earth. However, Earth's magic is so minimal that it is practically nonexistent. Hence why these are the forms we are stuck in."

"You mean you're living creatures?" Sam asked. "Not just these figures?"

"Precisely. Perhaps there is a bargain we could all strike. I'm sure in the weeks to come, these phenomena that you three are seeing will increase exponentially, until such time that great calamities occur all over the planet. If Skylands is at peace, then these phenomena should occur less frequently. In other words, the protection of Skylands means the aversion of disaster for Earth."

Sam shook her head. "You can't shove that onto us!" she argued. "We're kids! We shouldn't be the ones protecting the entirety of any world!"

"I wish it didn't have to be the case," Drobot sighed in lament. "But there's nothing we can do to change it. All we can say is that we're sure there are many other Portal Masters awaking to their magic on this world, who are also gearing up to take their mantles as well, so you at least won't be alone in your new endeavor."

The ground rumbled beneath them, startling the group. The rumble didn't last long, but the crowd in the park whispered confusion about it. Rosie gripped the edge of the park bench, her knuckles turning white and her heart racing in her chest. That had been an odd occurrence. What could that be?

"Was that an earthquake?" Axl gasped.

Sam kept shaking her head. "We're up north. We're not on any fault lines," she argued shakily.

"Could it be...like that strange phenomena these two have been talking about?" Rosie wondered.

Sam shot fearful daggers at her, frowning and glaring. "It's nothing like that! Nothing we have to deal with on our own!" she shouted.

Rosie looked down at Spyro, who now grumbled pensively. They were a part of this, weren't they? No matter how they looked at it or thought of it.

"We should give them the benefit of the doubt, right?" Rosie thought. "We don't really know anything about what's going on. And Spyro and Drobot haven't given us a reason not to trust them. We should see for ourselves, at the very least."

"Great! Let's get back to Skylands straight away!" Spyro shouted.

"W-wait, all five of us?" Sam muttered. "We can't exactly skip school to go to another world. The three of us aren't even acclimated to it. Not to mention the provisions we'd need, like food, water, means of defense-"

"If you earnestly want to help us out, we'll need a full team," Drobot suggested. "If you three are Portal Masters, then we should have three Skylanders accompanying us as well. Are we set in that regard?"

Axl's eyes lit up in recognition, and he shook his head. "I think I'm still missing a Skylander," he realized. "That's why I've been feeling weird."

"Do you feel a sensation somewhere?" Rosie wondered. "Like what Sam and I felt when we met Spyro and Drobot?"

"I think so. Like...near the skate park a few miles up."

"The skate park? I figured you'd go up there rather frequently."

"I used to, but I've been feeling rather anxious whenever I go near, so I haven't tried to. I wonder if the reason why is that a Skylander is nearby."

"Let's take a look."

Axl led the way, pointing out landmarks for them to follow. Sam jogged up behind Rosie, stammering, "So we're actually going to try? We're not going to talk about it more?"


	4. The Power of Three

**Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been rather busy. Just remember to let me know what you think of my story.**

Chapter Three: The Power of Three

The group made their way to the skate park, which consisted of several grinds and a few half pipes. No one was around here, save for a few policemen. They were currently setting up yellow tape around the area, which had several cracks in the pavement that appeared rather new. It always seemed that wherever a Skylander was, that area was restricted from them.

The group paused as they saw this commotion, studying the skate park thoroughly. Axl now shook terribly, his breathing shaky. The Portal he held blinked in sepia colors the closer they got to the park, as if it were indicating something. They felt a few more rumbles in the ground, seemingly coming from the cracks. Something else was around here that they had to be wary of.

"It's here," Axl nodded. "I definitely feel it."

Sam rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, there's no way we can get past those policemen," she announced. "Let's go home. There's nothing we can do."

"Sam," Axl growled, arms crossed.

"I'm already on the lam. What do you expect us to do? Just traipse across that tape past the police and grab the Skylander there?"

Rosie rubbed her chin. "I wonder if Black Hood will come back to help us," she mused.

"Black Hood?" Spyro asked. (As they walked, Rosie had set him back in her laptop bag pocket.)

"Yeah, before we found you, this person in a black hoodie ran by us. They might have been nosing around the burnt patch, now that I think about it."

Axl pursed his lips. "They did pause as if they recognized us, don't you think?" he asked.

"Perhaps they were a Portal Master, too?" Drobot suggested from Sam's hoodie pocket.

Sam crossed her arms. "Well I doubt we're going to get another out-of-nowhere distraction to allow us in this time," she huffed. "So we should just go."

Axl smirked. "Who says it has to come out of nowhere?" he insisted.

Sam shook her head furiously. "I can't do anything that will incriminate me further!" she argued.

"Just make something up. Anything. Distract them as long as you can. And if you really want nothing more from this Skylander business, that can be the end of your involvement."

Sam twiddled her thumbs together, musing at the idea of leaving this strange business behind her.

"Get me a cinnamon bun from the kiosk at the mall," Sam added.

Axl bit his finger nails. "Y-you mean the skull-sized cinnamon buns? Those cost nearly thirty bucks! And I've run out of chores at my place for allowance!"

"Get me out of this business, and get me a compensation cinnamon bun, and I'll gladly distract the cops."

"...Fine. But I can't promise that cinnamon bun coming anytime soon!"

Sam nodded, splitting away from the group.

Rosie thought on this new deal they had made. She thought the three of them would work together to figure this out. If Sam really didn't want to, they couldn't just force her to. But Rosie couldn't help that hollow feeling that came with it.

They watched as Sam ran up to the policemen, crying about a missing sibling. Some of the policemen walked up to her, while others simply looked her way. Axl and Rosie took this opportunity to sneak by, crawling past the yellow tape while the policemen were distracted. They skipped along, hoping to avoid the sight of onlookers. They heard a gruff masculine voice grow louder, calling for help- though this one sounded more annoyed than panicked. The voice grew its loudest once they found a hole in the pavement next to one of the half pipes.

"It's here!" Axl cheered.

He reached into the hole, pulling out another strange figure. Rosie grabbed his hand, looking at the figure closely. This figure was a black-and-gray shark with orange spots on its back. It stood on two legs, poised in fighting position with one fist in the air.

"Ugh, finally!" the figure groaned. "Just set me on the Portal you have. I'll take care of everything."

Rosie took Spyro out of her laptop bag pocket. "Who's this one?" she asked him.

"That's Terrafin," Spyro cheered. "And he's still as big and tough as ever."

"You're still here, Spyro?" the shark creature, Terrafin, wondered. "You should just force her to put you on the Portal. We don't actually need Portal Masters physically at our side in order to get back."

"Hey!" Axl grumbled.

Terrafin huffed. "Nothing personal. We just need a little push before getting back in the swing of things, is all."

"They're still on the fence, Terrafin," Spyro insisted. "I think they want to see us in action before they continue."

"Oh-ho, is that it? I'd be more than happy to blow them away with my power."

They heard shouting nearby, though they couldn't make out what was going on. Rosie and Axl scurried away, crawling back under the yellow tape and out of the skate park. They looked about, making sure the police hadn't spotted them. The police appeared occupied with something else. Thugs came up to them, wearing hoodies that were so dark purple that they were practically black.

Something about the thugs rubbed Rosie the wrong way. There was something underneath their hoods that made her nervous. Their faces appeared dark, though it was more than shadows on skin complexion. She couldn't explain it, but she knew they had to get out of here much sooner.

"Hey," Rosie decided, "let's get back to my place so we can-"

Something grabbed her from behind, restraining her movements. Her arms burned where the thug held her, and she noted the sickly black smoke that seemed to emanate from his hands. Axl yanked on the thug's arm to release her, but another one of them restrained him as well. Rosie looked up at the face of the new thug, gasping as she saw nothing but a black void under the hood.

"Where is the leader of the Skylanders?" Rosie's thug growled. "Surely you young Portal Masters know?"

"Let us go!" Rosie shouted, struggling in the thug's grasp. "Officer! Help! He-"

The thug covered her mouth, her face burning at his touch. "You've already gotten into enough trouble," he insisted. "The police might mistake you for our accomplices."

"No way!" Axl argued. "We're not as strange as you creeps."

The thugs chuckled to one another. "We doubt they can tell the difference, given the amount of magic on Earth," they said slyly.

* * *

Sam fled from the cops as soon as the strange thugs came up to them. She immediately saw their featureless faces and decided she needed to leave. She barely got ten feet from them when she noticed that the thugs had caught Axl and Rosie. The two of them struggled in their grasp, shouting and screaming for help, before it became silent as one of them muffled Rosie.

Shaking terribly, Sam hid behind a tree. She pointed Drobot toward the scene, asking, "What are those guys?"

"I'm not sure," Drobot muttered worriedly. "They seem to emit the same energy as the entity set on destroying my world, but I've never seen them before."

"Why do they have Axl and Rosie?"

"They seem to be after us Skylanders, as far as my optic scanners can see. They skipped out on you because you concealed me."

Sam pulled him back, huddling close. "What do we do now?" she muttered.

"What actions would you have us take?" Drobot asked. "I'm yours to command."

Sam struggled to hold Drobot in her trembling hands. She had to do something to help them, shouldn't she? She was available to do something to get those thugs away. But what could she do?

"I want to help them, but I'm powerless to do so," she choked. "I'm not good at overpowering anyone. I'm better with computers."

"You have more potential than you realize," Drobot reassured her. "Portal Masters have great power. Whatever you want to happen, you will most likely be able to do."

Sam peeked out behind the tree, wincing as her friends struggled in the thugs' grasp. She pulled her Portal out of her pocket, drawing her thumb over it several times. She looked back at Drobot, an idea coming into her head. Was he supposed to have special powers?

"I need you to get those thugs away from them," Sam told him. "Draw out your power and save my friends."

An intense light erupted from the Portal as she held onto it. She suddenly lost her grip on Drobot, finding that the Portal's light dragged him into it. He shot back out, the force painfully knocking the Portal out of her arms. She looked in front of her, finding that the small dragon figure no longer looked plastic.

Indeed, he now stood at his full height, which appeared to be equivalent to a medium-sized dog. He stepped in front of her, looking over himself in disbelief. Sam could hardly believe what had happened as well. Had she done that?

"I...can move," Drobot gasped. "It's incredible."

Sam shook her head, pointing out from behind the tree. "Go! Go!" she commanded him.

Drobot nodded, racing out from behind the tree. Sam watched him shoot lasers from his eyes, aiming at the thugs' feet. They released Axl and Rosie, who promptly ran away from them. Sam beckoned them over to her hiding place, and they eagerly followed her over. Their eyes were wide with shock as they came up to Sam's side.

"You're a lifesaver, Sam!" Axl gasped. "How did you do that!?"

Sam looked down at her Portal in thought. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "I just asked for Drobot to draw his power out so you guys could get away."

"We can't just leave him there," Spyro shouted from Rosie's hand. "I have a feeling this isn't the end of it."

An explosion sounded off, and Sam stood up to investigate. The thugs now attacked Drobot, shooting purple fireballs from their palms. The flames landed on the trees, slowly devouring them in the sickly plum color. The thugs that were harassing the cops now ran over to have their go at an overwhelmed Drobot as well.

"Oh no, this isn't good," Sam whimpered, a hand over her mouth.

Axl pulled out his Portal with a smile. "We've got your back," he announced. "Didn't you say you wanted to fight, Terrafin?"

"All right! Just put me in there!" the shark figure in Axl's grasp shouted.

Axl tightly gripped his Portal, aiming it toward the thugs. The light sucked the shark figure inside, and out popped the same creature, who stood at about half their height. He dove toward the ground, burrowing underneath the thugs and knocking them over. He shot back up, body slamming them.

Rosie pulled her Portal out of her laptop bag. "Ready, Spyro?" she asked.

"Ready when you are," Spyro cheered.

She made the same motions as Axl, the light taking in and shooting out Spyro, who appeared to be the same size as Drobot. He charged in, his horns alight with orange flames, and rammed into one of the thugs. The three Skylanders dodged and delivered blows, knocking the thugs back until they disappeared in puffs of black smoke.

Sam picked up her Portal, dusting it off and looking at Axl and Rosie sheepishly. Her arms still stung from the force of the Portal's magic, yet Axl and Rosie took to it much more easily than she did.

"Is it over?" Sam asked.

"I didn't see any more of them," Rosie shrugged.

"Do you guys see any more of them?" Axl shouted.

The Skylanders returned to their sides, panting from the effort, sporting a few scratches and burns. Spyro ran circles around the tree, chuckling, "That was great! Just like back in Skylands!"

Terrafin stretched his arm, shrugging, "I don't know. I'm not sure if I was fighting at full strength."

Drobot grabbed a metal wing with his rusty red paws, noting, "It felt like I needed to recalibrate my suit."

Spyro settled down, scratching his head with his hind paw. "Anyway, I didn't see any more of those guys," he explained. "You two?"

Drobot and Terrafin shook their heads.

"That's a relief," Axl sighed, arms crossed. "Who were those guys, anyway?"

"Drobot said he wasn't sure," Sam insisted.

"They looked kind of like the minions we fight back at home, but more akin to your species," Spyro wondered. "And they wanted to search the three of us personally. That's strange, right?"

Rosie studied her Portal, nodding. She touched her cheek, asking, "Is there anything on my face? It still really hurts."

Sam stepped back in alarm. "No, you look fine. They...hurt you?"

"Yeah, it was like a burn. My arm kind of hurts from it as well."

Sam looked around them for another moment, her heart racing in her chest. "Hey, we should turn the Skylanders back into figures now," she decided.

Spyro stomped a paw into the ground. "Really!? We're just getting started!" he moaned.

"Patience is key," Drobot insisted. "As well as safe. The only reason they didn't restrain Sam in the same manner was because she concealed me in her pocket. Magic is only just starting to return to this world, and we're bound to cause a scene. As well as lead undesirable individuals to our whereabouts."

Axl hummed in thought. "We can just have you guys protect us, though," he argued. "You three did okay out there."

"I don't know. I think Sam and Drobot have a point," Rosie insisted. "Spyro, I can let you run around when we get home. It should be safer for us there."

Spyro sighed in disappointment. "Alright," he moped.

Sam felt a smile grow across her face. "And we're going to Skylands as well, right?" she asked. "You three can stretch your muscles out there."

Axl looked at her with a raised brow. "We?" he asked.

Sam felt her face grow hot. "I mean, we started this together, didn't we? The three of us might as well see it through."

"And here I thought you didn't want any more involvement in this Skylander business. Do you still want that cinnamon bun, by any chance?"

"Of course. It'll be my emotional support cinnamon bun, to cure the trauma these previous events have brought me."

Axl sighed, his shoulders slumped.

"Let's go to my place. I think I can figure out how to get everyone there."

They grabbed their Portals, wishing for the Skylanders to revert to their figure forms. The Portals' lights sucked them back in, setting them on top as figures. The group concealed their Skylanders and Portals in various pockets, walking along together. Drobot hummed from Sam's pocket, clearly letting her know that something was on his mind.

"Yes?" Sam asked.

"I'm...glad we're going along with the others," Drobot muttered sheepishly.

"I know you really wanted to help them. But I'm sure this is where we need to be now."


	5. Shattered Island

**So... how do y'all like that ring with all the heroes in it?**

Chapter Four: Shattered Island

The group made their way to Sam's basement, which was filled with various computers and machines. Many of them were outdated models, outfitted to function in some other way- at least that's what Sam said. Rosie couldn't make heads or tails of any of the jargon she was using. Sam's idea was to analyze her Portal with one of her computers, in hopes that they could find their way to Skylands through that means. Rosie and Axl simply allowed her to go about her business. If anyone knew how to figure this out, it was her.

Drobot appeared to be apprehensive about the idea. "Portal Masters aren't supposed to use Portals on themselves," he noted. "It wouldn't be the best idea to jump into things without knowing what to do."

"All of us should go, right?" Sam wondered. "I think I could maybe...transfer some Portal magic to my computer. That way we can go through together."

"Is something like that possible?" Axl asked.

Drobot hummed in thought. "Magic is rather malleable," he said. "Of course, those connected with certain Elements will know what to do with it better than those who aren't."

Rosie leaned forward on the computer desk, studying the Skylander figures in front of her. "Elements?" she asked.

"Skylands is governed by eight Elements, each with different properties. They are Air, Water, Earth, Life, Undead, Tech, Fire, and Magic. Most magically inclined beings have an affinity toward a specific Element, and I suspect that you three have one as well."

"Things get more complicated than that on various other worlds," Spyro added. "At least that's what Master Eon said. With each world come different properties beyond those eight where magic gravitates. An affinity is supposed to help you seek out a specific source that is easily recognizable."

Sam fiddled with the computer and Portal, using wires to connect the two. "I think I've got it," she insisted. "Now to turn the computer on."

Axl crossed his arms in his seat. "Who's this Master Eon you mentioned?" he asked.

"He was our original Portal Master," Spyro explained excitedly. "The Last Guardian of the Core of Light. The greatest protector of Skylands. He guided and cared for every single one of us."

"And how many of you are there?" Rosie asked.

"Scores," Drobot replied. "At least four per Element that guarded the Core of Light, but possibly many more that we haven't gotten the chance to meet. Eon kept track of every single one of them before this event occurred."

Rosie and Axl looked at each other, grimacing. "We need to get Eon a coffee," Axl gasped.

"Anything you wish to add, Terrafin?" Drobot asked.

Terrafin grunted. "Nothing you can't explain better," he insisted. "I just want to get things going already. Need to crack a few drow heads together, y'know?"

The computer booted up, glowing in various colors in time with the Portal. Sam's face lit up as she saw it. "Hey, would you look at that!" she cheered. "It's working!"

"Are you sure?" Spyro asked quickly.

"Sure I'm sure. We won't be using the Portal on ourselves. We'll be using the computer using the Portal's magic on ourselves."

Drobot hummed in worry. "That sounds like the same thing," he stammered.

"No reason not to try it out," Axl insisted. "Is everyone ready?"

Rosie's stomach fluttered. They were really going to do this. She stood up, hands in her pockets. Their best bet was to go in all together.

"We don't have any other reason to delay it," Rosie announced. "Let's do it."

The kids each grabbed their figures, holding their hands out in front of the computer screen. Their Portals flashed in a strange light, somehow different than the colors they glowed with before. The computer screen blinded them with a white flash, and suddenly they lost their footing on the ground.

* * *

They fell. The starting point for their fall was unclear, and they had little bearing on where they were going to land. Not that the kids could gather such anyway. No, the frightened Portal Masters only saw blue surrounding them as the wind rushed passed them in their descent, screaming as adrenaline coursed through their veins.

And then they landed on something soft, if a bit slippery, with the wind knocked out of them. Rosie blinked a few times as her heart settled into its normal rhythm, and she focused on what was beneath her. It felt like… rubber. It had a beige, or almost gold, color. She pressed on the surface, finding it to be soft and slightly malleable. Rosie looked up, finding that the deep blue sky still surrounded them, and they calmly floated through the air.

"Is everyone okay?" she shouted.

"No," Sam whimpered, gripping onto what looked to be a spire alongside Terrafin.

"Mostly," Axl muttered, settling down and sitting cross-legged on the strange surface.

"Not really," Spyro sulked. "I tried flapping my wings, but I couldn't get airborne. I can move them, and they don't feel broken, but I don't understand why I couldn't do it."

"Indeed, it seems the calibrations on my flying mechanisms are off, yet I can't read anything that indicates that something's wrong," Drobot agreed. "I am unhurt from our fall, otherwise."

Terrafin didn't respond, his head buried into his arms as he held onto the spire with a death grip.

"And you'd think we'd be teleported to the ground as well," Spyro added. "Is it because we have Portal Masters with us?"

Rosie took in their surroundings. Landmassed floated next to them, grassy tops overshadowed by brown craggy bottoms. Puffy white clouds drifted above and beside them as well, giving off some coolness as they passed. Hot air balloons soared by as well, sporting a similar color scheme as the strange mass the group sat on. The balloons sported strange symbols on their surface that the kids had never seen before, and colorful lights sat on the ropes that surrounded the balloons' frames.

Rosie nodded with a laugh. So they'd landed on top of a hot air balloon, then!

They watched as several more balloons flew passed them, with two balloons following every singular one. Their balloon broke from the current, flying in the exact opposite direction as the crowd went. Rosie couldn't look at the figures in the balloon baskets clearly, but they didn't look quite human.

Spyro's face contorted itself in shock and concern. "That's a lot of balloons, don't you think?" he stammered.

"Something big is happening," Drobot determined. "And the individual piloting this vessel seems to be breaking from the pack."

"I wish I could see who it was."

Rosie found herself curious as well. But she fought her curiosity and stayed put. From what she saw of their surroundings, there didn't seem to be a bottom in sight. Perhaps they were so high up that it couldn't be seen- or, much more bizarrely, no such bottom existed in this world. Either way, she couldn't find any good method of sneaking a peek at their balloon pilot.

"Everyone duck!" Sam suddenly shouted.

They followed her directions without hesitation. From the corner of her eye, Rosie saw giant rocks soar above them. The balloon changed direction, trying to avoid the rocks, but otherwise staying on course.

"That's not normal over here, is it?" Axl wondered.

"Rocks fly around all the time in Skylands," Terrafin spat, though his voice was shaky.

"But with this swarm of balloons, I think something may be wrong," Drobot replied.

They approached a landmass up ahead. It was a group of floating islands connected by various bridges, holding a humble little village. They spotted small silhouettes rising from this village, forming into balloons the closer they got. The great exodus originated from this village.

"Wowsers, look at all these balloons leaving!" a voice shouted from below them. "Parking's gonna be a snap!"

"They're not just leaving," another voice quivered below. "They're evacuating! Something must be terribly wrong!"

"Well, that would explain the flying rocks."

Spyro cocked his head in intrigue. "That sounds like Hugo and Flynn. This is great! Who would've thought we'd end up with them!?"

"Friends of yours?" Axl asked.

"Hugo is Master Eon's assistant, and Flynn helps Eon get around from place to place."

"Yay! We're not completely in the dark, then!" Sam cheered. "We have some of your allies to assist us!"

They felt the balloon give a bump as it touched down on land, settling at the very edge of the village. A figure stepped out of the balloon. They appeared short, their form resembling a humanoid mole creature. They wore a green robe, with the hood filled to the brim with various scrolls. The kids hadn't seen anyone that strange- of course, after meeting the Skylanders, this first impression wasn't as alarming.

"We're good to get off, then!" Axl announced.

While the two figures exchanged some parting words, Rosie and Spyro slid down together. Rosie tumbled a bit on the landing, wincing as needles shot over her soles and up her legs. Drobot slid down next to them, putting his front arms up on the basket. Axl grabbed Sam's hand, helping her slide down. She set a foot on Drobot's head, releasing Axl and managing the rest of way down by herself. Axl went back over to the spire, trying to talk to Terrafin. But the balloon started moving before the two of them could get down, and the pilot seemed oblivious to the others' protests as they flew off.

Sam stuffed her hands in her hoodie pocket, looking down nervously. "We lost them," she muttered.

"We can find them later," Spyro promised her. "Hugo! We're here!"

The mole creature turned around, his huge glasses nearly falling off his face. He adjusted them, gasping with a smile. "Portal Masters! Skylanders! You really are here!" he cheered. "Master Eon _did_ send help!"

"There's one more of us around here," Rosie nodded. "My name's Rosie, and this is Sam. We're… not quite sure how we're supposed to help quite yet."

"Do you know why this village is being evacuated?" Drobot asked.

Hugo looked toward the village. "I haven't seen the cause. I can't imagine it being anything good, though. So the best thing for you to do is to find the source of this village's destruction."

"Let's shove off, then!" Spyro shouted.

The group went off, with Hugo in tow. Rosie paused for a moment, spotting two figures behind a nearby tree. One of them appeared to have a dark flowing dress, while the other one had a black hoodie with a few tears in it. Could that be Black Hood? With a Skylander at their side?

She continued onward without questioning the figure. If they were interested in helping them, then they would come by to help.

The group ran down a bridge, ducking as a giant rock soared above them, Their next landmass shook from the impact of the hit, and they looked behind them to find the way back now gone. Rosie spotted the two figures hiding behind another tree. So they were following them after all.

"This really isn't good," Sam muttered.

"Let's keep going," Spyro urged them.

They hurried on, arriving at the town square. There they came across strange badger-like creatures, some wearing tunics while others wore dresses, yet they all seemed proud of the various strange hats on their heads. Upon seeing the Skylanders and Portal Masters, the badger-like creatures erupted in applause, wide grins on their faces. Some of them shivered in anticipation. They appeared...thankful that the Skylanders were here.

"Wh-wh-what are you all still doing here?" Hugo asked the badger-like creatures.

"You seem rather crazy to come here," one of the creatures told Hugo. "We're trying to reach more of the balloons so we can get out of here, but there's lots of debris that we can't clear on our own. It's covering the main gate, and we can't get out that way."

"Then we'll get to work right away," Drobot decided.

The draconic Skylanders got to work, blasting the debris out of the clearing. Though it seemed the more they cleared, the more debris that fell. They needed heavier artillery if they were going to help everyone.

Rosie noticed Sam run off, and she ran after her. They went up a ramp that led to a shelf stocked with a few defenses, including a rather worn cannon. Sam studied the cannon, looking over every part with intrigue. Rosie connected with her line of thinking much faster this time around.

"Can you get it working?" Rosie asked.

"For sure!" Sam piped.

Rosie cupped her hands to her mouth, shouting, "Spyro, Drobot! Clear out!"

The draconic Skylanders moved away. Sam adjusted the cannon, pointing it toward the pile of debris. She pulled a lever, stumbling as the cannon shifted while shooting a projectile. The projectile hit the pile of debris, blasting the whole thing away. The villagers cheered, bringing a giant key over to the gate, unlocking it and scrambling for the balloons.

"Oof, my wrists hurt," Sam winced, flexing her fingers.

"Let's go," Rosie decided.

The girls met back up with Spyro, Drobot and Hugo. They continued through the village, assisting frightened villagers along the way. They paused as they reached a nearby gulley that divided the village in two. A badger-like creature tried feebly to push an unusually large turtle into a gap, straining from the effort. On the other side of the gap, several other terrified villagers hopped around nervously as they waited for the path to clear.

"Those things pop up in the strangest places, don't they?" Spyro mused.

Rosie looked at him in confusion. "You mean the turtle?" she asked. "They usually get that big?"

"There are variations in size, but we often come across turtles that large."

An elegant feminine voice behind them noted, "Are you sure you don't want to help them, miss? You ought to have a better reason for following them, if that isn't the case."

The group turned around, spotting another figure behind them. It appeared to be an elf with cyan skin, wearing a dark flowing dress. She hovered above the ground, and Rosie couldn't tell if she even had feet.

"Hex! You're here too!" Spyro cheered with a smile.

"You found yourself a Portal Master?" Drobot asked.

"Indeed I did," the elf, named Hex, replied. "She's on the shy and quiet side, though."

A figure stepped out from behind a house- the figure in the black hood from the night they found Spyro. She looked at them straight on, and her face could now be clearly seen. Her cheeks had freckles dotting them, almost highlighting her green eyes. She seemed almost afraid to come near.

"It's fine," Rosie insisted. "We don't bite."

The girl nodded, stepping forward.

"Hex, why don't you help these dragons push the turtle into the gulch?" the girl asked. "I need to figure things out here."

"Very well," Hex insisted. "Spyro, Drobot, let's go."

The Skylanders ran off together. The black-hooded girl looked at Spyro for a moment slightly too long, before studying Rosie and Sam.

"Um, m-might you tell us your name?" Hugo asked her.

The girl deliberated for a moment, before replying, "Tara."

"Oh, you don't really hear that name too often!" Sam mused. "I'm Sam, and that's Rosie. And this here is Hugo."

"I'm familiar with Hugo, though this is the first time I've actually met him."

Rosie twirled some hair from her ponytail. "You have?" she asked.

"I'm well-versed in Portal Master lore. And you two don't seem to be. Is it just you two who have taken the call where you live?"

Sam shook her head. "There's one more in our group, with his own Skylander, too," she explained. "We...got a bit separated."

Tara looked away, pondering something. "You all seem rather free with information," she muttered.

Rosie frowned in confusion. "...You're the one asking," she reminded her.

Excitable shouting sounded off, and the group moved out of the way as the Mabu fled out of the gulley and toward the balloons. The Skylanders shouted at them to come along. The group, which now included Tara and Hex, ran on the turtle's shell and continued on their way. (Though Sam seemed a bit distressed when Tara insisted on leaving the turtle behind). The wind picked up as they ran through, strong enough to set them off balance. They pressed on, shielding their faces from small particles as they looked about.

"We're close to the source of this village's destruction, I'm sure of it!" Tara shouted.

A gate stopped them in their tracks, with strange creatures on the other side. The creatures were small and green, with little eyes set on stalks. They growled and bared their teeth- which they had several of. There didn't seem to be a keyhole or any means of opening the gate.

Hex pursed her lips in disappointment. "These chompies are blocking our path," she sighed. "Though I didn't peg them to be intelligent enough to set up gates."

"How can we get through if we can't get rid of the chompies, though?" Hugo sighed.

Sam gasped, pointing upward. Rosie looked where she pointed, her mouth agape in shock as she spotted two figures falling from a tall precipice- Axl and Terrafin. They were falling quite fast, too. If they didn't do something, the impact could seriously injure them.

But what could they do from all the way down here?

It wasn't like they had any powers available to-

Wait...they were aligned to specific Elements, right?

Rosie quickly threw her hands up, summoning a sphere that surrounded the two. The effort seemed to strain every muscle in her body, and as she lowered them to the ground, the pain increased with the strain.

"They're low enough! You can release them!" Spyro urged her.

"Not among those things! They could get hurt!" Sam shrieked worriedly.

"If a Skylander is there, it'll be fine," Hex insisted.

Rosie released the sphere, with Tara quick to catch her. Axl landed on his rump, and Terrafin landed square on his feet. The strange monsters ran toward them, but Terrafin cleared them away with ease, throwing fists and churning dirt. After each chompy was taken care of, the gates vanished in an instant, and the boys returned to the group.

"It's good to see you again!" Sam cheered. "Are you alright?"

Terrafin shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing a little more flying could do to hurt us," he insisted.

Regaining her strength, Rosie staggered to her feet. "What about that fall?" she asked. "What happened?"

Axl turned to face her, becoming excitedly animated. "It was crazy! Rocks flew all around us, and we couldn't find anywhere to settle down! Flynn was pretty cool- though he seems a bit silly- and together we spotted the crazy tornado destroying everything! A rock slammed into the spire we were standing on, breaking off a piece and sending us to our near doom!"

"T-Tornado? What tornado?" Hugo stammered. "That's what is destroying this village?"

"Surprised you people haven't noticed it yet," Terrafin chuckled, arms crossed. "It's larger than the ones you usually see around here."

The group rushed onward, finding the ruins of a palace before them. Growling and chattering sounded off further in the hall, and they found a swarm of chompies gathered inside. On the balcony stood a family of the badger-like creatures cowering in fear, trying to figure out how to get down the stairs and avoid the small monsters. And behind the ruins was a fast-approaching tornado, picking up rocks and debris into its great hole. Once it came upon them, it would engulf the entirety of the island.

"Th-th-th-that looks like the Mabu Royal Family!" Hugo shrieked. "They can't get out with those chompies in the way!"

"They have a problem with those things?" Axl asked. "They seemed pathetic to me."

"There's too many of them to clear away, of course," Sam frowned at him.

Terrafin smirked, cracking his knuckles. "I could crush a few more of them," he insisted. "Anyone else want to get their blood flowing again?"

Tara nodded in determination. "I'll go help escort the Mabu Royal Family to safety," she decided. "Just help us clear out the chompies, got it?"

Everyone agreed. The Skylanders set off to work again, this time with Hex using orbs of dark magic to clear away the chompies. As soon as most of the swarm had been cleared, Tara charged ahead into the palace, with Hex following after her. They couldn't have any trouble in saving that family now.

As soon as they had a lull in action, Axl turned to everyone and asked, "Okay, so who was that girl just then?"

* * *

In another half hour, the entire village had been cleared, with the Mabu Royal Family having gathered on the very last balloon. The kids and Skylanders followed Hugo back down from the palace to a rendezvous point farther away from the tornado, where another balloon awaited them. A tall Mabu creature sat inside, wearing a pilot's jacket and aviator goggles. He had this posture about him that seemed to suggest a cocky personality about him.

"We're back, Flynn!" Hugo shouted at the Mabu. "Let us on!"

"Righty-o!" the Mabu replied.

Flynn opened the basket door for them, allowing everyone to get on. The wind picked up once more, and Rosie angled her head to see where the tornado was currently at. The Skylanders held their heads low, upset about something. Even gruff Terrafin furrowed his brow in worry. So the kids had to bring up the question.

"Is that tornado not a normal occurrence?" Axl asked.

"We get tornadoes in this world often, but none as big as this one," Hex confirmed. "Something is definitely wrong around here."

Hugo sighed, peering over the edge of the basket. "I'm afraid it's all going to get worse," he moped. "There have been reports of terrible disasters all throughout Skylands. Floods, eruptions, famine… it's as if the world is ending."

Flynn lifted the sandbags out of the basket. "Well there's going to be another disaster if we don't get out of here quick," he insisted. "That tornado is right on top of us."

"I've met up with a few other Portal Masters just before getting here," Tara explained. "We were to direct the villagers to a safe spot for them to recuperate. I'll point you on the way."

The balloon lifted into the air, and the group set off for the place Tara wanted to show them. Rosie looked back at the village, cringing as the tornado chopped it into pieces. The anomalies on Earth didn't sound as bad as Hugo described the disasters of Skylands as being. How far had things gone? Was there still something they could do?


	6. Ruins of the Citadel

Chapter Five: Ruins of the Citadel

Tara didn't need to instruct Flynn on where she wanted them to go. It seemed that as soon as Flynn saw a few landmarks on their path, he took it from there. They were going to someplace familiar to the Skylanders, as well as their allies. They soon gathered together with several other balloons, ones piloted by Skylanders with their human Portal Masters. Rosie counted about ten in all- a smaller number than one might expect, but it was still a good amount that could assist the people of this world.

Eventually their safe spot came into view. It was a large island system with several paths and walkways marking it. Down below the main portion appeared to be a dock area, with its very own shoreline flowing off the edge perpetually. Marking the top was a tall building, though much of it appeared destroyed and crumbling. At the center sat a huge crater, dwelling several feet below the grass.

Rosie noted Spyro's horror-stricken face, and asked him, "Was this your home or something like that?"

"It's Eon's Citadel," Spyro muttered. "It was the base for all Skylander activity. I knew it had taken damage from our last battle, but…"

The balloon basket touched down on land, and the group made their way out. Several balloons touched down with them, releasing Mabu, Skylanders and human Portal Masters alike. The Mabu gathered together in one large group, applauding the Skylanders and Portal Masters. Their praise grew loud and boisterous, the motion of their bodies increasing as they hopped and pumped fists. Their praise carried a great sense of joy within it, one that put great emphasis on the presence of the Skylanders.

Rosie found herself overwhelmed by it. These people had thought that the Skylanders were gone forever, didn't they? Could they not protect themselves easily without their help?

"I'm not sure how good of a place this will be to protect the Mabu here," Hugo muttered, adjusting his glasses. "Maybe before everything that's happened, the Citadel would have been a perfect place. But look at how everything is crumbling. The Citadel will probably hurt someone if a brick fell on their heads."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Flynn insisted, hands in his pockets. "With everyone here, the old Citadel will be back in tip-top shape. I might lend a hand in it a little, too, if someone asks me to heroically bring supplies."

"We should settle inside," Tara announced to them. "We need to figure out what we want to do if we're to move forward."

Axl looked at the crumbling building, his lips pursed together in thought. "It probably won't help keep the rain off," he muttered. "Though I am getting an explorer's itch. Want to look around, everyone?"

Sam took a look at Drobot. "I was starting to think of trying to get back," she explained. "Our families will be rather worried the longer we spend time here. We should establish an easy means of transportation if Portal Masters can't use Portals on ourselves."

Spyro scraped at the ground with his claws. "I want to see if someone's been waiting for us here," he decided. "I think I could find them if I look hard enough."

Axl shrugged them off. "Well, I'm still itching to explore anyways," he insisted. "See you guys later."

He ran off toward the docks, with Terrafin just behind him. Sam and Tara walked together with Drobot and Hex. Rosie found herself feeling rather out of place once again. She didn't have a good idea of what she wanted to do. She wasn't sure what exactly she needed to find by looking around. So Rosie decided that she ought to keep an eye on Spyro, and followed after him when he ran at the Citadel.

* * *

Axl followed the winding staircase down to the docks, eager to see what he could find there. The beach contained lots of clutter, from broken planks to chipped bricks. This debris littered the water as well, so it didn't look like a good place for a swim. Oh, but it might be fun to sail around for a bit. All he needed was a boat to travel around in.

"Yeesh, this place has definitely seen better days," Terrafin muttered as he walked up next to Axl. "You still interested in this place?"

"Are you kidding? The beach is the best place in the world," Axl argued. "The sand, the waves, the salty air, everything's perfect about it."

"Not the litter."

"Do you guys have boats around here? I was thinking of sailing around for a bit to see what we could find."

"Spyro and his friends had a little dingy hidden away somewhere. But there isn't much to explore to around here. They mostly just pretended to be pirates."

"I'm sure there's something out here. Maybe something changed last time you came to the docks. Let's go find that dingy."

Terrafin huffed, clearly displeased by the idea, but he nonetheless went along with it. He led Axl along the cliff face, crawling around half-buried in the dirt as he looked around. They eventually stopped, and Terrafin dragged something out of the ground. It was the little dingy, which appeared big enough to fit five people inside. Terrafin set oars next to it, with one of them broken in half. The dingy itself seemed free from wear and tear, with just a few scratches on the side.

"They hid it well," Terrafin noted. "Still want to go out there?"

Axl nodded, grabbing the unbroken oar and climbing inside. Terrafin huffed once again, pushing the boat toward the water and climbing in once they started floated. Axl pushed the oar on both sides, maneuvering around the debris in the water. The sailing took a bit of work, as he had to make sure that the dingy didn't sustain too much damage.

"I take it you don't like the ocean or the beach?" Axl asked.

Terrafin propped an arm on the edge of the dingy, resting his chin inside his palm. "I used to work at a beach," he explained. "Worked with too many idiots who couldn't swim or clean up after themselves. I can't go to another beach without becoming agitated because of it. And it's not like I can swim well in water, anyway."

Axl continued paddling, deciding not to press further. He wanted to ask more questions, like why Terrafin couldn't swim well or what his beach job was, but he was pretty sure those questions might seem stupid in the grand scheme of things. He could figure things out on his own by just watching and observing. Axl couldn't just let everyone around here explain everything to him if he didn't give an earnest effort in trying to figure it out.

But he did find another question he couldn't figure out as easily as anything else.

"Hey Terrafin, what kind of special power do you think I'll have?" Axl asked.

Terrafin glanced at him from the corner of his eye, apparently curious. "You mean Portal Master power?" he elaborated.

"Of course I mean that. Like, Rosie could create a magic force field around the two of us. I'm pretty sure Sam has some kind of wizard specialty when it comes to machines. I mean, she's always been good with machines. Ever since we were little, she could always figure out how a computer or a phone worked, and she could do it much faster than me. I'm not sure how Rosie could do the force field thingy, but sometimes in art class, I'd notice she'd draw weird creatures in her spare time, so maybe that's her connection with magic. Do you think I'll be able to throw boulders? Shake the earth hard enough to flip a tank? I mean, I have to have some connection to the earth, right?"

"I'd say so. I'm of the Earth Element, and you seemed to find me pretty easy. That's likely your affinity. Though until you summon that power, I can't say for certain what it is. The old legends I grew up with said that Portal Masters could utilize power over the Elements if they wanted to, but it's nothing I ever saw until today."

"I see."

The silence settled back onto them. Axl continued paddling, and Terrafin set his gaze back on the water. Boy weren't they getting along just fine? Axl could usually have conversations with other people. It seemed as if Terrafin only wanted him around so he could move and do stuff. It wasn't very fun, to say the least.

Eventually they saw a silhouette of something in the water just in front of them. And once they got closer, they found that it was a statue in the middle of a small islet. The statue was bronze in color and seemingly material, and it had multiple arms. The statue also had a spiked crest on its head, and it all around looked rather alien.

Terrafin lifted his head up in surprise, apparently also unfamiliar with the statue. "That's never been here before," he noted.

"Do you know what it is?" Axl wondered.

"Can't place it. Though something does seem familiar about it. Maybe he...no, couldn't be that."

"You want to tell someone it's here?"

"Might as well. You never know what it could be."

Axl paddled once again, turning back toward the shore. He knew there was something to spot in the water. All that they needed was to keep looking and exploring in order to find new things.

* * *

Sam and Tara made their way to a forested area on the island, with Drobot and Hex trailing after them. Tara insisted that a Portal Master had stationed themselves within this place called the "garden". Sam couldn't help but notice how the plants began wilting, with every tree and shrub turning brown. It sent chills up her spine. This place was meant to be luscious year-round, wasn't that right? She only saw one green patch of grass, with it being used to nurture one small sprout.

"You're already eager to get home, you said?" Tara wondered. "Tired of this place already? You're aware that Earth won't be safe until the calamity in Skylands is averted, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm aware," Sam insisted, arms crossed. "But I can't completely drop everything in order to help out on Skylands. My parents would kill me if I spent even a single day away from them, and more than that, I'd rather not worry them. If we can freely cross between Earth and Skylands, then that will help out significantly, don't you think?"

"I suppose it might. Or it could bring greater calamity to both worlds than the current one we're facing. You don't know what kind of demons could come forth and bring ruin to places where they don't belong."

"You have to be eager to get back to your family too, don't you?"

"My family would rather have me where I'm needed, and I'm currently needed in Skylands."

Sam moved her hands into her pockets. Suddenly she wasn't so sure if trying to create this bridge was a good idea or not. "What kind of creatures could invade Earth?" she asked.

"No one is really sure. But it wouldn't be the first time evil beings invaded worlds they didn't belong in because someone was eager to explore."

Hex chuckled. "You've been told the Breach of The Darkness, too, haven't you Tara?" she smiled.

" 'Breach of The Darkness'?" Sam asked.

"It's an old fable, marking the history of the Portal Masters' greatest duty to Skylands," Drobot explained. "It says that the Ancients, the progenitors of our way of life in this world, created fantastic machines to ease their labor and create the foundation for the way most species operate. But this urge to create was joined with their immense sloth, their immense need to do as little as possible. At some point, they were eager to explore as much of the universe as they could, but they wanted to put as little work into it as possible. In their haste to explore, they accidentally found a horrid realm where unspeakable terrors lie, and through the gap they tried to close, a force known simply as The Darkness made its way through, bent on bringing Skylands to ruin. The Ancients hid the machinations used to open the gap away, but the damage was already done. If left to simmer on its own, The Darkness would gain enough power to do away with all of us."

Sam cringed at the idea. "That sounds horrible. What did the Skylanders do to stop it?"

"It took some time before The Darkness posed a great threat to our world. The founding Skylanders didn't need to face it, as did the next few waves that took the mantle afterward. Only when the Portal Masters came into their own and forged the necessary alliances with the Skylanders did The Darkness gain its prophesied power. And only together could the Skylanders and Portal Masters banish it to the farthest reaches of the world, where it could only exist as some abstract concept. Together they created the Core of Light, fueled by the eight Elements that gave it power. True to its name, the Core of Light spreads light and balance over Skylands, keeping The Darkness at bay."

"That doesn't seem so bad. All we need to do is find it, right? Where is it at?"

Hex shook her head. "The Core of Light was stationed at Eon's Citadel. It was destroyed by the-"

The two Skylanders suddenly shouted in pain, kneeling down and clutching their heads. Sam found herself aware of Drobot's anguish, experiencing it but also not, in a strange sort of way. In another moment, Drobot and Hex regained their composure, standing back up.

"That was...not good," Sam muttered. "What happened?"

"We...know what destroyed it," Drobot insisted. "But it's as if...the memory is blocked in our minds. We can't bring it forth. It's like a curse."

"Names are powerful things," Tara nodded. "Saying them in the wrong place can invite terrible curses into your life. You have to be careful about these things."

Sam adjusted her hairband, regaining her resolve. "Then we have to fix the Core of Light in order to turn everything back to normal, right?" she decided. "Where do we start?"

"We? So you still want to help after all?" Tara scoffed, arms crossed.

"Hey, I do still want to help. We've come this far, haven't we? So where do we start?"

"Legend states that the Eternal Sources were used to construct the Core of Light. With the Core's destruction, they have likely been scattered. I'm not sure where to start looking, though."

"We can ask Hugo about it later, okay?"

Tara nodded.

Sam looked at the path ahead. "Let's work on building that bridge," she decided. "I'm sure a lot of Portal Masters would feel more comfortable about being here if they could come and go as they please, regardless of what came to Earth. We could still...stop what comes through. Let's keep going."

She took the lead, with Drobot walking alongside her. That fear still resided in her gut, but she couldn't simply bow to it. Sam was deep into this crisis with the other Portal Masters' now, wasn't she?

* * *

Rosie found it difficult to keep up with Spyro as they walked around the ruined Citadel. He pounced into each and every room, as if he was looking for something. Each time Rosie looked into one room to find him, he had already run into another room, as if they were on an episode of Scooby Doo. Eventually she gave up on trying to follow him, simply travelling around the ruined Citadel at her own pace. Spyro could run around as much as he wanted, for all she cared.

She eventually made her way into the lower sections of the Citadel, at the below-ground level that hadn't suffered the same type of damage. With each step she took, the ground creaked and the walls shook, causing bits of dust to fall off the ceiling. Rosie shuddered at the thought of the foundation crumbling on top of her. Theoretically, she could save herself by creating a shield around herself like she had for Axl before, but she decided she wasn't too confident in her abilities just yet. Despite her apprehension, Rosie continued onward, curious as to what was in the basement.

At one point, she found a door that had been torn at its hinges, hanging precariously by the wall. Rosie moved this slightly out of the way, entering a strange room. Portals filled the entire space, ranging greatly in various sizes. Some Portals were smaller than a brooch, while others were as big as floor mats and wishing wells. Each one glowed in strange shades of green, flashing and shining as Rosie walked in. The Portals seemed to react the closer she got to them. As she studied the Portals, she noticed a light coming from the far corner. It didn't quite flash in the same manner as the other Portals did, meaning that the source was different. Rosie slowly walked onward, heading in the direction of the odd light. She came up to a large Portal that leaned along the wall, sporting a large crack along the side. The odd light came from the corner behind it. Rosie peered over the side, checking to see what it was.

An apparition looked at her with a gasp. Rosie turned away and scampered behind a nearby Portal the moment she saw it. She ran away from it so quickly that she didn't fully look at what it was. It appeared to be a spirit, Rosie decided. She almost thought to shrug that idea off immediately, dismissing the idea of spirits truly existing- but at this point, such an action was silly and ignorant. It was a spirit, but it was like...a floating head? Was that it?

Rosie peered over the side of the Portal she hid behind. The spirit hovered out of it's corner, floating over to her. She balked as it did, taking in it's form. It appeared human, with a horned helmet and white beard, and it grew ever closer. It said something again, but Rosie missed it as she began her run out of the room. She hopped and skipped over broken rubble and debris, shoving away the fear of collapsing walls or floors. Rosie didn't know what a spirit in this world might do, but she decided that it was an immediate danger.

As she ran out of the room, a strange feeling entered her gut. It was the feeling of worry, but it was a feeling that currently didn't belong to her. That worry had to come from somewhere. Perhaps it came from a different entity? How could that be possible?

Rosie paused by the stairway as she heard Spyro's hurried calls up above. She shouted for him, and then she heard plotting footsteps scampering downward. Relief flooded over her the minute she saw Spyro once again. He smiled at her, though it was different from the cocky or excited smiles she'd seen him wear before. It was almost foreign, yet Rosie found something familiar in it. As if it was the origin of something else.

"There you are!" Spyro sighed. "I thought we'd be sticking together, if you were going to come in with me."

"That's what I wanted, but I could hardly keep up with you," Rosie argued, crossing her arms.

Spyro lowered his head, muttering something Rosie couldn't quite pick up.

The feeling of worry switched with a feeling of guilt. It, too, currently didn't belong to Rosie. It was a strange phenomenon, and she couldn't figure out what was going on.

"You're pretty worried about your Master Eon, aren't you?" Rosie asked.

Spyro nodded meekly.

"So you haven't found him, yet?"

"I've looked everywhere, and I haven't seen him. I can't figure out where he would be."

"Why don't we get out of here? Until everyone gets deep into reconstruction, I doubt this Citadel is a safe place to be in."

Spyro nodded again, and the two of them started climbing back up the stairs. The purple dragon suddenly paused and looked at Rosie. The feeling of worry returned to her gut once again, still not belonging to her.

"You're okay, right?" he asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Rosie looked back at the room, jumping as the odd light illuminated the doorway. "Is that more than a saying here?" she pressed on.

"Yeah, Skylands has several islands radiating with Undead energy. Ghosts and goblins and all sorts of other spooky creatures gather there. Don't worry, though. Like other species in Skylands, they're not inherently evil. Do you think there's a ghost down there?"

"There's something down there."

Spyro turned around, making his way back down with a smirk on his face. "Well I'll show that spooky specter what's up!" he determined. "I'm sure it'll think twice about scaring you!"

Rosie hurried after him. "I'm not worried about running across that thing again," she insisted. "Let's just go back up and-"

She noticed the purple dragon pause before the doorway, holding one paw tentatively above the ground. Rosie noticed his eyes growing misty as she came closer. That feeling in her gut transformed into a mixture of surprise and joy, but she herself was growing ever more confused.

"I knew you were still here!" Spyro cheered, running into the room. "Master Eon!"

Rosie hovered by the doorway, watching as Spyro embraced the disembodied head. The two of them laughed together, in spite of the fact that the spirit appeared to be smothered. She watched Spyro and the spirit exchange happy greetings, trying to put the pieces together. That spirit was the old Portal Master Eon?

"It's so good to see you, Spyro," the spirit, this Master Eon, announced with a smile. "I worried for yours and everyone's safety. Is Hugo alright?"

"He was the only one who escaped that battle unfazed," Spyro nodded.

"It was good that I told him to hide, then. I knew he was in danger from a battle on our own soil. How are the other Skylanders faring?"

"I think everyone's doing okay. There's a great amount of Portal Masters coming from Earth and finding us. There's...a lot of them. This situation really is terrible, isn't it?"

"I always knew this day would come. I knew that this Awakening would reignite the Portal Master society in one way or another. This situation will be whatever we want to make out of it. As long as we rely on each other, we'll turn it into something good."

Rosie walked into the room, her hands clasped together. "So you're Master Eon," she noted. "I...didn't know what to expect when I met you."

"I really didn't want to scare you off," Master Eon lamented. "I tried to urge you not to flee."

"I'm sorry."

"It can't be helped. In fact, it's most of the reason why I'm down here instead of greeting the new Portal Masters."

Spyro cocked his head. "You're...stuck like that, aren't you?" he stammered.

Eon bowed his...head. "I'm afraid so," he explained. "When the Core of Light was destroyed, it's power transformed me, a being already with limitless magic potential, into a spirit of sorts. I'm not the same as any Undead creature in Skylands, but I'm not human, either. I believe my form is still incomplete, and without a strong connection to the Skylanders' magic, I will remain a floating head for quite some time. And without a solid human form, I can't access the magic of the Portals."

Spyro backed up, eyes widened. "You mean we're not going to be working together, anymore?"

Eon hurriedly replied, "Oh no, I'll still be here to guide and give advice when it's needed. But your most powerful bond is no longer the one you have with me, but with the Portal Master you've just met. This is her, right?"

Rosie nodded.

"Would your name be...Rosie, by chance?"

Rosie staggered back in shock. "H-How did you know!?"

Eon smiled morosely. "It was something I sensed from my bond with Spyro," he explained. "I'm glad to know my ability to hone in on those feelings is still present. I could only guess because he's building a strong connection with you."

Spyro smirked, rolling his eyes. "She's much slower to action than you, Master," he insisted.

Rosie shot a glare at him. "You're too quick to everything!" she argued.

Eon chuckled. "It's clear you two still have a long way to go until your bond grows strong, but I have faith in you," he insisted. "When you start understanding one another, your bond will grow strong, and you'll be able to accomplish many great things."

Rosie crossed her arms in thought. They had a lot of work ahead of them, didn't they? She had no clue about Master Eon's prior abilities and skills. She didn't know what kind of trouble was in store for them, or even if she was capable of handling it. Well, it wasn't like she had much choice in the matter any longer, right?

"I think we should get going," Rosie decided. "We should meet up with our friends and figure out what to do next."

"Yeah, yeah," Spyro muttered. "You're coming up with us, right Master Eon?"

"I think it's about time I formally introduce myself," Eon agreed. "Let's all go together."

The three of them left the room, making their way toward the staircase. Rosie looked back at the room, dread growing in her heart. This conflict was greater than she was. There wasn't any way she could have the power to stop it, was there? Perhaps…

Perhaps she'd made a big mistake somewhere along the line.


End file.
